A task force involving Government officials and CIE is to be established to target rail safety investment following the publication of a damning study showing weak management systems in Iarnrod Eireann, outdated signalling, an urgent need for safety training, a high risk of accident on some lines, poor tracks and serious shortcomings in identifying hazards.
Describing the report as "sobering", the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, yesterday met the board of CIE for a detailed discussion of the 130page study which she commissioned in the wake of last year's train derailment at Knockcrockery, Co Roscommon.
According to the Minister, recruitment of two additional Railway Inspecting Officers to oversee safety will begin at once. There is only one such officer at present and the necessary legislation to allow for the increase must be updated.
British-based consultants International Risk Management Services were mandated to determine whether the risks posed to passengers, staff and the general public on the rail network were acceptable and to determine the cost of safety improvements.
In highly critical findings, the consultants came to the conclusion that £590 million should be spent on the system over the next 15 years. The Government has already given approval to CIE to borrow £23 million for immediate spending on safety.
According to the report, just over £230 million was required to bring the present Iarnrod Eireann network to a safe condition, without speed restrictions or other measures used to ensure adequate safety. This sum does not include any provision for enhancing infrastructure to meet higher train speeds or heavier trains.
The task force will report to Ms O'Rourke in January with a priority list of just where and when the remaining capital should be spent. Meanwhile, £20 million is needed annually to maintain the existing system.
Government sources last night rejected claims by the Fine Gael spokesman on public enterprise, Mr Ivan Yates, that CIE was already close to its borrowing ceiling of £200 million. Sources said the real borrowing limit was £250 million and the company had current borrowings of £150 million.
Saying he intended to raise the report in the Dail today, Mr Yates described the Government's response to the document as seriously compromising passenger safety.
Describing the Iarnrod Eireann network as historically safe, the IRMS report predicted, however, that if no improvements were made, a short-term risk of about 10 train accidents per year could arise in the fare-paying passenger end of the service. This could result in an average of seven fatalities per year.
The highest contribution to these risks came from failures associated with points, their detection system to ensure they are safe for trains to pass over, their adequate maintenance, signals and wiring.
The sections where signalling systems contributed to the highest risk were between Ballybrophy and Limerick Junction; Heuston to Cherryville Junction; Portarlington to Ballybrophy and Limerick Junction to Mallow.
Signalling, clearly a key area of concern for the consultants, presented eight serious safety failures. Normally, no such failures would be found on the type of inspection conducted on signalling, telecommunications and level crossings in the system. However, a "high proportion" of the facilities were in poor condition and much of the mechanical signalling was in "an unacceptable state".
The report states that formal systems of preventative maintenance or inspection appeared to be absent.
While the DART system was judged to be generally good, the report warned that because of its age, major work would be required in the near future to keep it running effectively.